This invention relates generally to vehicle protective cover theft preventive devices, and more particularly concerns the provision of a signal producing means for detecting displacement of a protective cover with respect to the covered vehicle.
Covers are commonly used with vehicles such as automobiles to protect the automobile from damage due to exposure. The covers presently available range from simple plastic sheets draped over the automobile to expensive laminated and coated canvas covers that are substantially fitted to conform to the shape of the specific automobile, boat, trailer, or aircraft. Since these covers are valuable, a means is desired to prevent their theft. Prior means have included elastic bands or cords attaching the cover to the vehicle, and occasionally have included a hardwire connection of the cover to the vehicle to activate an alarm in response to the breaking of that hardwire connection. These prior devices have generally been cumbersome, time consuming in attaching or connecting when covering or uncovering the vehicle, generally unsophisticated, easily defeated by the thief, and many times require unsightly protrusions such as contact switches or master switches extending through a surface of the vehicle, such as the automobile fender. To my knowledge, no way was known to overcome these and other disadvantages prior to the present invention.